Headgear with stabilizing crown rigging



Jan. 6, 1959 -w. s. FlNKEN HEADGEAR WITH STABILIZING CROWN RIGGING Fil ed Aug. 25, 1955 INVENTOR. M44475? 5 //I//1A/ ing through the apertures. be either portions of the rigging such as webbing straps or "cords, or they may be rivets, screws, or other conven- HEADGEAR wrrn STABILIZING CROWN RIGGING Walter S. Finken, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Leonard P. Frieder, Great Neck, N. Y.

This invention relates to headgear structures and particularly to safety helmets.

Certain aspects of this invention are improvements on the safety helmet described and claimed in the copending U. S. application of Leonard P. Frieder and Walter S. Finken, Patent No. 2,739,309, filed December 21, 1950, entitled, Headgear Structure.

In addition, certain other aspects of this invention are improvements on the helmet described and claimed in my copending U. S. application, Patent No. 2,795,792, filed November 24, 1954, entitled, Helmet for Electrical Workers.

Safety helmets of the type described generally consist of an outer shell formed of a light, rigid, plastic material and supported on the head of the wearer by means of a rigging which holds the shell spaced from the wearers head so that blows on the helmet shell are transmitted to the wearers head only through such supporting rigging which is built of tapes or straps of flexible material. Such a rigging is generally composed of a headband adapted to encircle the head of the wearer and a plurality of head straps connected to the headband and adapted to extend over the crown of the wearers head. The rigging is connected to the shell by means of a plurality of substantially inelastic straps attached at one end to the headband and at the other to adjacent positions on the lower portion of the shell wall. Commonly the fastening means involves the provision of apertures extending through the shell and fastening elements extend- The fastening elements may tional fastening devices. However, where the use of apertures is undesirable, as for example where the helmets are to be used by electrical workers, my copending application Patent No. 2,795,792 previously mentioned; ,discloses a fastening means without apertures extending -through the shell. This latter means of fasteningthe rigging and shell provides the wearer, for example, linemen, protection against electrical shock which may he received upon contact of the shell and overhead wres, and which, in conventional helmets, might be transmitted through the apertures to the head of the wearer.

However it is apparent that, where the connecting structure between the headband and the shell, as described above, is employed, only the lower portion of the shell, i. e., the portion adjacent the headband, is maintained spaced from the wearers head. Blows delivered to the outer surface of the shell above the connecting structure or to the brim below that connecting structure may move the shell in pivotal fashfon around the connecting structure as a fulcrum, while the supporting rigging remains in place on the head. Under such conditions, the crown of the shell may touch the head with a substantial impact.

It is now suggested to provide a means of securing a helmet shell to its supporting rigging above the head- States Patent O" 2,866,977 Patented Jan. 6,1959

band so that the pivotal motion just described may bev It is thus an objectof my invention to provide an improved safety helmet including means for fasteningthe shell of the helmetto itssupporting rigging ata level substantially abovethe headband.

Another object is to provide an improved safety helmet of the type described, including improvedmeans for fastening a shell to its supporting rigging above the head of the wearer, without the use of apertures extending through the shell. I g

The foregoing objects are attained in the safety helmet described herein by providing a shell and supporting rigging which are connected by means of two separate sets of substantially inelastic members, one of such sets extending between the lower portion, e. g., the headband, of the supporting rigging and the lower portion of the shell, and the other set extending between the upper portion of the supporting rigging and the upper portion of the shell to maintain both saidupper and lower shell portions spaced from the wearers head. i I

Molded integrally with the lower portion of the shell of the helmet at spacediintervals about its periphery are a number of lugs substantially thicker than the other portions of the helmet shell. The insides of these lugs are provided with recesses to receive anchor blocks. The lower portions 'of the-rigging which supportthe headgear on the wearers head are connected to these anchor blocks by means of a plurality of substantially inelastic straps secured in slots formed in said anchor blocks. Molded into the upper portion of the shell at spaced intervals around the internal wall thereof are a number of lugs adapted to receive and support an anchor cup. The anchor cup is provided with slots therein adapted to receive the ends of substantially inelastic tensign members attached at localities spaced from 1 said ends to the upper part of the rigging. There is=thus provided an arrangement for securelyattaching the rigging to both the upperand lower portions of the: shell structure.

without the necessity of apertures or openings in the shell Other objects andadvantages of-the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specificationand claims taken together. with the accompanying drawing.

In e r ina V.

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken on a central vertical plane of a headgear embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on a line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to a portion of Figure 1 but on a larger scale, illustrating a modified form of construction of a helmet shell embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a helmet including a shell 1, having a contour which is similar to that of the electrical Workers helmet, described in my copending application Patent No. 2,795,792, previously there are molded a series of lugs (not shown), i. e., thickened portions of shell 1. The inner sides of these lugs are provided with recesses 4 to receive anchor blocks 5.. The ends of head strap elements: 3 are attached to said anchor blocks by meansof slots formed thereon and adapted to receive said'ends, a'sshov'vnat6 in Fig. 1. A fuller and more detailed description of this structure for fastening the lower portions of shell and the rigging here described is set forth in my copending application Patent No. 2,795,792, mentioned above. An anchor cup 7 is mounted on the inside of shell 1 adjacent the 'crown portion thereof; "It may be constructed of reinforced plastic or any other suitable strong material. Where my invention is embodied in a helmet intended for use by electrical workers, anchor cup 7 is preferably constructed of an insulating material.

In the preferred form of my'inventi'on the upper part jof shell- 1 is provided with a plurality of internally projecting lugs 8 molded integrally with said shell and adapted to receive and hold the edge of anchor cup' 7. However,

said anchor cup may be attached directly to shell 1 by means of cement or other adhesive material.

Anchor cup 7 is provided with beading 10 about its edge, said beading forming a flange thereon. Anchor cup 7 may be lightened by providing apertures 11 and 12 in the webbing thereof.

Substantially inelastic tension members 13 extend from crown portion 14 of head strap elements 3 to anchor cup 7 and are attached thereto by means of slots 15 formed therein andlocated about the perimeter thereof immediately adjacent beading 10, said slots being adapted to receive the ends of tension members 13f Each of said ends extends through said slot, thence around beading '10, being stitched to itself as shown at 16. The end of each member 13 opposite the end received by slot 15 is secured to the crown portion'of head strap 3 by stitching as shown at 17. There is thus provided an arrangement I for maintaining the upperportion of a helmet shell spaced from the head of a wearer.

" Figure 3 illustrates a modification of my invention in which the fastening means employed to maintain spaced relationship between rigging and upper shell includes the provision of lugs 18 molded integrally with the upper portion of shell 1. Said lugs are provided with slots 19 adapted to receive the ends of tension members 13. The tension members are each provided with at least four slots 20, adapted to receive the free end of the tension member after said end has been looped through a slot 19, 1 in a woven manner, thus providing a strong non-metallic anchorage.

Indeed, any conventional form of fastening device may .be employed to attach the connecting tension members -to theupper shell; They may include other forms of 'internally mounted fastening devices when the use to "which the helmet is to be put requires the absence of openings in the shell structure, or they may include more conventional devices employing such openings.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention in a safety helmet intended for use by electrical Workers and therefore constructed without the use of apertures through the shell structure, it is evident that my invention is also applicable to other forms of safety helmets wherein the shell structure is supported upon.and spacially maintained from a Wearers head by means of rigging.

It is understood that this invention is not to be limited by the exact embodiments of the devices shown, which are merely by way of illustration and not limitation, as various and other forms of the device will be apparent to those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. in a headgear comprising a rigid helmet shell and rigging means to support the shell and spaced inwardly therefrom and adapted to engage the wearers head, said rigging means including headband means adapted to encircle the head, head strap means connected to the headband means and adapted to extend over the crown of the wearers head, and substantially inelastic connecting means extending between the headband means and the lower part of the shell to maintain said lower part spaced from the wearers head; the combination of an anchor cup shaped to conform to the contour of the inner helmet shell wall at the crown portion thereof, means retaining said cup in abutting relation with said crown portion, said cup being provided adjacent its periphery with a plurality of slots, and a plurality of substantially inelastic straps, each strap extending horizontally between the upper portion of the head strap means and the shell, each said strap having one end thereof secured to the head strap means and the end opposite said One end looped through one of said slots, said rigging means, said inelastic straps and said anchor cup cooperating to maintain said upper shell portion spaced from the wearers head.

2. A headgear as defined in claim 1 in which said means retaining said cup comprises a plurality of internally projecting lugs molded integrally with the shell, spaced about the upper shell wall and adapted to receive the peripheral portion of said cup.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,077,833 Houghton Nov. 4, 1913 1,256,532 Drag Feb. 19, 1918 1,294,863 Blaszko Feb. 18, 1919 2,306,362 Wolfi Dec. 22, 1942 2,359,387 Riddcll Oct. 3, 1944 2,398,561 Ruggiero Apr. 16, 1946 2,536,467 Ruggiero Ian. 2, 1951 2,585,937 Johnson ct a1. Feb. 19, 1952 2,619,638 Cairns Dec. 2, 1952 2,741,768 Ruggiero Apr. 17, 1956 

